"I have breast cancer" - such a diagnosis turns life upside down. At least this was the case ten years ago in the case of Agata Polińska, then 28. The woman found out that she had advanced breast cancer. Although there were many difficult times, she won, not the disease. For several years he has been helping cancer patients, sharing his experiences, running the Alivia Foundation together with his brother Bartosz Poliński.
"I have breast cancer"- when did Agata find out about it? He remembers exactly the advertising photos in Slovenia in 2007. She worked as a copywriter. Her life was swift, until one day she noticed a strange diffuse swelling in one of her breasts. It looked as if she had been bitten by a mosquito or a spider. She felt fear, although she was regularly examined - six months earlier she had been to the gynecologist and then there was no reason to be concerned. - I returned to Poland and quickly went to the doctor - he recalls. - The biopsy shows that there are probably cancerous cells. It was difficult for me to get used to this diagnosis, and because I had to wait about two weeks for the results of the next tests, I flew out for the previously planned photos, this time to South Africa. She comforted herself that she looked like a specimen of he alth: flushed cheeks, shiny hair, even slightly overweight. She decided to worry afterwards and she has been using this method to this day.
After returning to Warsaw, everything happened very quickly - in Agata's absence, Bartosz organized an operation in a private clinic. In 2007, at the Institute of Oncology, we had to wait for her for six weeks, and in cancer, time is of the essence, because cells multiply extremely quickly, especially in young people. Agata had a very aggressive type of tumor that overexpressed the HER2 receptor, which means that it progresses rapidly. However, the operation did not take place because she could not communicate with the surgeon. Perhaps because she was asking uncomfortable questions, for example about planned surgical techniques and whether all tests recommended by world scientific societies would be performed before surgery.
She was looking for another doctor. She found a recommended chemotherapist and started with chemotherapy. And it was a better solution, because the cancer had already spread to the collarbone and neck while waiting for the test results. Then she underwent surgery and radiation therapy, and then a year of adjuvant treatment. She and her brother searched for all the information available about "her" cancer. They bought access to American medical libraries. They made contact withresearchers who conducted the research asked about targeted treatments, specific drugs. - For three years we have been absolutely engrossed in finding the best possible treatment. Even though I was undergoing very severe chemotherapy, I tried to stay active as long as possible. I didn't want to give my life to cancer. I decided that being ill will be my additional duty, my second job. I needed the company of people and money for treatment. We were looking for help abroad: in the United States, Great Britain, Italy.
Worth knowingThe goal of the Alivia Oncology Foundation, founded by Agata and Bartosz Poliński, is to mobilize cancer patients to be a brave, active patient, looking for the best therapies, doctors and centers, the shortest queues for diagnostic tests and any information that can improve their he alth. You can help the foundation by donating 1% of the tax on the occasion of the annual settlement (KRS number 0000358654). Throughout the year, you can support the foundation by sending a text message WALKA to No. 74567 (cost: PLN 4 net, PLN 4.92 gross).
They figured out that if they followed the path of Polish procedures, they might not get a happy end. They visited dozens of oncologists, and only one or two were open to a creative search for a solution that would increase the chances of survival at least minimally. - At the beginning it was about 40%, but after less than two years it turned out that I had a local recurrence of the disease, and then my chances dropped to a few percent - says Agata and adds that she remembers perfectly when she had a dream at that time that he was dying. It was then that she realized that she might lose this fight. Despite her worse mood, she did not give up. She knew how important it was to control pessimistic thoughts - whenever her head took her into the black forest, she pulled the reins, she said: "Whoa, we're going to the beach" and imagines warmth, palm trees, bliss …
Even before the disease relapsed, Bartosz found drugs and therapy that they themselves consulted in the United States. In Poland, nobody told them about them. The drug belonged to a targeted group, used only in some cases of breast cancer. Theoretically, it was available in Poland, but as part of the reimbursement, it was administered only in the fourth, last stage of the disease. After finding a relapse, Agata wanted to use experimental therapy earlier to avoid this last stage. Unfortunately, for a month and a half in Warsaw, doctors wondered what to do. They claimed that it could no longer be cured. Success was to control the disease so that it would not progress. But Agata did not agree to it, she just wanted tolive as long as possible. Together with Bartosz, they were looking for further treatment. They found local hyperthermia in which cancer cells are heated to 42 ° C and then treated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy within an hour so as not to give them a chance to regenerate. One of the oncologists from Poznań agreed to the therapy under the National He alth Fund - he used two very strong chemistries, and a targeted drug from the States. Plus hyperthermia.
During the whole illness, Agata learned humility: until now, she thought that her body was a perpetual motion machine, that she did not need to sleep or rest, it would still work. Now she knows perfectly well that she demanded too much from herself, she didn't care what she was eating, but she lived in an eternal rush and stress. Now that has changed: he chooses he althy products, reads labels carefully, takes care of the right amount of exercise and relaxation. Thanks to the determination of Agata, Bartosz and many kind people who supported her both spiritually and physically, as well as thanks to doctors who were not afraid to take the risk, the therapy was successful: Agata is he althy, her body is cleared of disease to zero. - I am a proof that you have to fight for the best treatment for yourself, that new therapies are actually able to change the fatal scenario of the disease - she says satisfied.
Worth knowingStrong support group
So far, the charges of the Alivia Foundation have received over PLN 6 million for drugs, visits to specialists, and commuting. - People who are diagnosed for half a year come to us and nobody thinks it could be cancer - says Agata. - And then it turns out that it is already a metastatic stage and the prognosis is very bad. Patients often do not know that if their doctor considers the matter hopeless, they can go to another city to another specialist who is obliged to see them and consult them. The Foundation suggests ways to facilitate quick access to costly examinations under the National He alth Fund (www.kolejkoskop.pl), provides information on malignant neoplasms and their treatment, publishes oncological news in Polish on its website and on Alivia's profile on Facebook.